Pottery Show Program

December 4–6, 2020

46

th annual

POTTERY SHOW& SALE

Curated by Bruce Dehnert and Chris Gustin, with Aysha Peltz 561 Piermont Road, Demarest, NJ 07627

•

201-767-7160

Proceeds benefit The Art School at Old Church, a 501(c)3 non-profit center for the arts.

Welcome to the 46th Annual Pottery Show and Sale!

When asked to describe The Art School at Old Church, I often say it is a community defined by creativity. That makes us unique and rare and grounded in a long tradition of bringing out the best in humans. Let’s think back . . . way back.

The scale and complexity of renowned cave paintings verify they were collaborative efforts. Ambitious, prehistoric works required torch lights, scaffolding, combined pigments, and a host of other tools, materials, and processes. The recent discovery that adults helped children draw in those same spaces is further evidence that communities have long valued coming together to make and respond to creative work. A community defined by creativity, therefore, is an inclusive environment that supports everyone’s artistic and human development.

It is a place that encourages all individuals to make things well and to make them to last. Mikhail Zakin must have had similar ideas in mind 46 years ago when she envisioned transforming a 19th century church into an enduring arts and culture center. Today, The Art School is a testament to her imagination, drive, and generosityy; and thanks to her collaboration with the influential ceramicist Karen Karnes, we have this amazing pottery show every year.

Not long ago, I wrote, “Every creative community finds a place to convene, whether it’s bricks and mortar, tents pitched in the sand, or a URL.” And here we are, no bricks, no tent in the yard. Here we are convening in cyberspace to celebrate the joy, wonder, and insights Mikhail’s medium of choice inspires.

That’s the power of art and evidence of the resilience and determination we expect of creative communities. On behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone here at The Art School: Welcome, potters, curators, admirers, and collectors!

Lisa and the 46th Annual Pottery Show team have put together an astounding online experience for us all.

Dr. Jerry M. James Executive Director

Dear Friends, Welcome to the 46th Annual Pottery Show & Sale! It is true that this year may look a little different than usual. In a typical year, you would be handed this program as you entered the beautiful Art School at Old Church building, poised to discover your latest amazing find. In a typical year, you would raise a glass to toast in celebration of another incredible event filled with awe-inspiring works of art. And in a typical year, you would spend time catching up with old friends while making a few new ones. But we all know, this is not a typical year.

As our curators so beautifully express in their letter, when we gathered in February 2020 to select the potters for this year’s show, we had no idea what lay ahead for our country and the world. Over the past several months, our vision of what the Pottery Show would be had to adjust in light of gathering restrictions and social distancing guidelines.

So, we made the safest decision possible and moved the show online – but this is no typical online sale! Our goal is to make this weekend – and even more – this week as exciting and interactive as possible.

This year, 31 potters from across the country will participate in our 46th annual show. These potters represent the vast array of forms and styles in the world of ceramics. Each day, beginning December 4 through December 6, we will release more work, so there is always something new to discover.

We have also added virtual workshops with six incredible potters: Sanam Emami, Maggie Jaszczak, Candice Methe, Matthew Schiemann, Mike Stumbras, and Sue Tirrell. These workshops will bring you directly into each potter’s home studio, where they can share their practice with you.

And on Saturday, December 5, our curators will sit down for a virtual artist talk with Jessica Brandl, Andrea Gill, Michael Kline, and Kevin Snipes to discuss the field, their individual style, and how this past year has impacted their work.

So, while this may not be a “typical,” pottery show, we hope that it brings the same kind of joy into your life, and that you find something special to “take home” with you. A huge thank you, once again, to everyone who made this show what it is – most especially, the entire staff of The Art School at Old Church.

And as always, thank you to Bruce, Chris, and Aysha for their unwavering support and incredible guidance. Enjoy the show!

Lisa Beth Vettoso Organizational Consultant and Former Executive Director

“I remember MC Richards’ words: The making of the pot is the making of the potter.’ The process of making is, after all, a celebration of life.”

- Mikhail Zakin

Founder of The Art School at Old Church About the Show The 46th Annual Pottery Show & Sale (also known as the Old Church Pottery Show & Sale) is a nationally-renowned event among the clay community, and a destination for close to 1,000 pottery enthusiasts each year.

The 2020 show is coming to you online, and will feature more than 500 handmade pieces–from functional mugs, servers, and casseroles to sculptural works.

This year’s potters are an eclectic group of 31 innovative and distinctive artists, hailing from across the United States. The online event offers a unique opportunity to view an incredible collection of work, as well as meet and talk with these master artists via online workshops and events.

Our History The Old Church Pottery Show & Sale began in 1975 as a fundraiser for The Art School at Old Church (TASOC). Long-time friends Karen Karnes and TASOC founder Mikhail Zakin wanted to connect their vibrant community of potters with the local area and offer the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind works of art, all while supporting the newly-established cultural center. The show has become a model for other shows of its kind and has grown to include approximately 30 artists from across the country, offering as many as 3,000 pots for sale over its three-day span.

For more than 40 years, Karen Karnes curated the Old Church Pottery Show.

On July 12, 2016, Karen died peacefully in her home in Vermont at the age of 90. Karen was an innovator, progressive thinker, mentor, and a dear friend. The Pottery Show lives on in her memory in honor of everything we loved about her— her forthright manner, indelible wit, her devotion to ceramics, and her legacy.

Karen Karnes, Curator (1925-2016) “Karen Karnes peacefully passed into the world of light at sunrise on July 12, 2016. We lost a giant, but retained her legacy.”

-Ann Stannard Karen Karnes and Mikhail Zakin

A word from our Co-Curators: When we met in Connecticut in early March, we set out to select the best studio potters we could find for this year’s show. Over the course of that blustery weekend, little did we know that trouble was brewing not only far away but much closer to home than we could have imagined. There already were ominous signs being reported from Italy, and those disturbing scenes ran counter to those before us on a monitor in a hotel room. There we were, viewing and discussing what shape we might give this show. Because we are passionate about the role the Annual Pottery Show & Sale plays in not only supporting The Art School at Old Church, each year’s artists, and the ceramics field in general, we were excited about innumerable potentials. It was exciting to be together again looking at so many great pots. So excited, in fact, we failed to see the coming storm.

When the pandemic hit hard just two weeks later, it did so with a fury unlike anything our country had seen in nearly a century. Its impact has left no stone unturned in any part of the world. And among its most devastated ‘rooms’ in the house have been the arts. Every artist, every arts institution, every business having to do with the arts has been irreconcilably harmed. Artists, their families and friends, have lost loved ones, or have themselves been taken away by this relentless virus. Our beautiful community has been forever changed.

As you read this, as curators we hope you understand how important a member of our arts community you are. Whether an artist yourself or passionate in your appreciation for the arts, you are playing a profoundly important role. Our community of artists needs every hand on deck during these difficult times and your presence will be felt long after this year’s online Pottery Show has ended.

During this year’s planning we have often thought about the Show’s founders, Mikhail Zakin and Karen Karnes. We have a pretty good idea of how they would be feeling right now. Because both were pathbreakers they would have stared down the pandemic and made every effort to innovate ways making sure the Show went on. The Art School has followed their lead. We couldn’t be prouder of the entire staff and Directors [this year we have two! Lisa Beth Vettoso and Dr. Jerry James] for their phenomenal efforts moving the Show to an online format and making the Show happen for all of us. And we thank, with admiration, all of this year’s artists who are joining us from studios located in practically every region of the United States. We wish everyone and their families a healthy and prosperous year to come.

Bruce Dehnert

Chris Gustin

Aysha Peltz

Jessica Brandl Helena, MT

“Domestic objects and detritus are features of humanity.

The research and visual characteristics that define my artwork resonate of Americana and common modernity.”

Tom Coleman Henderson, NV

“I believe one must have a true love of the medium to be successful and I believe in the highest quality one can achieve which I hope I show in the porcelain pieces I create.”

Elaine Coleman

Henderson, NV

“I love incising porcelain because it lets me create images in my mind that I transfer to the surface of my pieces where they come alive.”

Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt Bakersville, NC

“We make pots from the wild local clay that surrounds us in Western North Carolina. Layering the dark clay with light slips and ash glazes, we fire them in our wood kiln and hope they will bring joy in years of daily use.”

Bruce Dehnert

Layton, NJ

“The nature of Architecture juxtaposed with the architecture of Nature inspires me. Corners are metres for where change arrives abruptly. These constructions are excavations, fabricated, and prosodic.”

Sanam Emami Fort Collins, CO

“Ideas come from different places; a book, or a conversation.

The studio space is where the concepts and inspiration take shape. I am interested in creating contrasting gestures that can coexist within a pot or a tile.”

Andrea Gill Alfred, NY

“This is useful, joyful work.

It is meant to live comfortably in a home until needed to hold flowers, or for a moment of visual meditation.”

Chris Gustin Dartmouth, MA

“To make objects that connect with our communities, for both functional use and aesthetic pleasure, has never felt more important to me than in these times of Covid.”

Maggie Jaszczak

Shafer, MN

“Pared down in form my work draws on the quiet objects of basic function; surfaces emphasize material and process with pattern and mark making.”

Nick Joerling Penland, NC

“I like “blue collar” pots that do the everyday work of carrying, containing, delivering, but at the same time are active in the mind and imagination.”

Michael Kline

Bakersville, NC

“Despite the many tangents that lead me this way and that in the course of making pottery, the ideas, desires, and excitement of clay remain very close to those at the very beginning of my career.”

David MacDonald Syracuse, NY

“For me, the vessel is essential.

There exists in the vessel a timelessness and universality that records, contains and perpetuates the very essence of humanity.”

Candice Methe

Red Lodge, MT

“The foundation of my work is the presence of the hand.

I am interested in improvised conversation, rather than a preconceived formula.”

Matthew Metz Alfred Station, NY

“The best pots sit in the cupboard, quietly waiting to be used, yet vibrating with meaning and complexity.”

Aysha Peltz Whitingham, VT

“My pleasure in making pots is being lost in their surfaces and imagining myself in their landscape. Ultimately, I am most satisfied by the phenomenon that occurs when I push against a thrown and textured form to reveal something unique to the clay.”

Peter Pincus Penfield, NY

“What started as my curiosity for pottery and vessel has extended to include painting and sculpture, and my present work is evidence of that evolution.”

S. C. Rolf

River Falls, WI

“My work employs the physical process of layering which describes a sense of growth of the pot, both inward and outward.”

Akira Satake Asheville, NC

“For me, the act of creation is a collaboration between myself, the clay, and the fire.”

Matthew Schiemann

St Petersburg, FL

“I enjoy combining strong traditional ceramic forms with personal motifs and decorations.

Atmospheric firings are sometimes used to enhance the work.”

Mark Shapiro Worthington, MA

“Making pots honors our shared humanity and defies meaningless labor—as useful now as ever.”

Jane Shellenbarger Rochester, NY

“My work draws from many sources to create objects that fraternize with an edge, the moment where expected beauty becomes deconstructed— and where the familiar is reconsidered. At its best, the work is both artifact and object of the contemporary world.”

Hitomi and Takuro Shibata Seagrove, NC

“Hitomi and Takuro’s pottery studio in Seagrove, NC. Originally from Japan, established ceramic careers in Shigaraki, and our focus is to use local wild clays and wood firings.”

Rob Sieminski Philips, ME

“I continue to study the natural world and the many and varied manifestations inherent within it, hoping to make some of that energy and magic visible...”

Jose Sierra Albuquerque, NM

“By altering wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware, my work fuses organic and geometrical forms, in which I express both the fluidity and abruptness of the shapes and lines in the landscapes and architecture that surrounds me.”

Kevin Snipes Philadelphia, PA

“Storyteller, draughtsman, designer, color master, vessel maker, investigator.”

Mike Stumbras Kansas City, MO

“I make work inspired by 18th century historical production practices and the human condition as we seek meaning through labor.”

Shoko Teruyama

Alfred Station, NY

“I hand build earthenware pottery with sgraffito decoration and multiple layers of translucent glaze.

Subjects include floral patterns, characters, and narratives.”

Sue Tirrell Pray, MT

“My pots employ mythic animal imagery, crisp design, and riotous color to bring playfulness and storytelling to our daily kitchen rituals.”

Jack Troy Huntingdon, PA

“I made my first pot a wretched little bowl in 1962 and have been trying to make amends ever since.”

Online Workshops During the Pottery Show Follow this link to register for workshops: https://www.oldchurchpotteryshow.org/workshops Building Form with Maggie Jaszczak: Wed,12/2,1:00-3:00PM Considering the Teapot with Mike Stumbras: Thurs, 12/3, 4:00-6:00PM Sgraffito with a Twist with Sue Tirrell: Fri, 12/4, 1:00-3:00PM Patterning the Table with Sanam Emami: Sat, 12/5, 12:00-1:30PM Round Bottom Pourers with Candice Methe: Sun, 12/6, 4:00-6:00PM Pitcher Perfect with Matthew Schiemann: Mon, 12/7, 1:00-2:30PM

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the 46th Annual Pottery Show & Sale at The Art School at Old Church.

https://standardceramic.com/ http://shop.ceramicsupplyinc.com/

Virtual Artist Talks During the Pottery Show: Follow this link to the Eventbrite page for the Artist Talk: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/46th-annual-pottery-show-artisttalk-tickets-130484989115 Artist Talks: Saturday, December 5, 4:00PM

Congratulations to The Art School at Old Church on their 46th Annual Pottery Show & Sale!

Thank you to our curators and potters for your support!

-Gail and Michael Rutigliano

Congratulations! to The Art School at Old Church on their

46th Annual Pottery Show & Sale!

-Grant and Jeannette Hobson

The Art School at Old Church acknowledges the following for their support:

THE ART SCHOOL AT OLD CHURCH BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ruth Borgenicht Jane Chang Bruce Dehnert Grant Hobson Maureen Lostumbo Carrie Ortiz Nicole Romano

Gail Rutigliano Judy Schaefer Martin Semar James Turnbull Anne Connors Winner Vivien Woodford

SUPPORTERS AND FRIENDS Karen Karnes, Curator (1925-2016) Mikhail Zakin, Curator (1920 - 2012) Bruce Dehnert, Chris Gustin, Aysha Peltz, Co-Curators STAFF Dr. Jerry M. James, Executive Director Heidi Bacaz, Administrative Director Megan Carli, Ceramic Studio Manager Bella LaRiccia, Finance Coordinator William Richichi, Facilities Manager Amy Dudash Robinson, Assistant Executive Director Daniel Russo, Cone 10 Firing Manager Erin Schwab, Marketing Coordinator Lisa Beth Vettoso, Organizational Consultant Vivien Woodford, Thrift Shop Manager Special thanks to everyone who has contributed to this event in any way. Thank you for helping “the show go on!”

Cover design: Andrea Schettino Catalog design: Margery Theroux 561 Piermont Rd. Demarest, NJ 07627 • 201-767-7160 • tasoc.org www.oldchurchpotteryshow.org

pottery by Mark Shapiro

www.oldchurchpotteryshow.org